


Hellbent

by Primarina (PastelBrachypelma)



Series: In Which the Author Ignores Sly 4 Completely [4]
Category: Sly Cooper (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Chases, F/M, Heist, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Injury Recovery, Major Character Injury, Police, Pre-Heist, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27930181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelBrachypelma/pseuds/Primarina
Summary: Two words make her freeze where she stands, her hand on the doorframe.“Freeze, Cooper.”
Relationships: Sly Cooper/Carmelita Fox
Series: In Which the Author Ignores Sly 4 Completely [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1992913
Kudos: 7





	1. I'll Prove You Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> Light mention of suicidal thoughts within! It's just one throwaway line later on, but please be careful if that triggers you!

“Shit,” Bentley said. 

Carmelita immediately perked her ears up. That was not a good sign. 

Kennedy glances at her father through her blue light glasses, then flips a couple of switches on the complex set up they have before them. Carmelita recognizes some of it, but most of it just looks like a hacking scene in a movie to her. All that matters is that their two brainiacs understand it. 

Two audio read-outs pop up side by side, bearing the serial number of the binocucoms. Kennedy turns a dial, and the caravan suddenly fills with a radio-like crackle. 

“Sly, I have you and Selena on speaker.” Bentley says, face grim. Out of all of them, the turtle is showing his age the most, wrinkles and crow’s feet surrounding his eyes, laugh lines around his mouth and jaw. The pale light from the computer really makes them stand out. 

Tesla pokes her head in from the kitchen, her ears perked up to listen. She and Kennedy share a silent glance, then Tesla motions to Carson, who had been on his phone until the commotion started, and the young fox rises to his feet. Carmelita can hear them whispering on the edge of her hearing, but her ears aren’t as good as Sly’s. Her tail is twitching, her body taut. All of this feels bad. 

She’s itching for her shock pistol. 

“What’s going on?” Selena asks. 

“Police,” Sly says gravely. “Covering the T section at six and eight.” 

It’s code that only Sly, Bentley, and Murray understand; thief code developed over the years. But Carmelita can watch what it means now as Bentley pulls up a map of the area and makes digital yellow circles in two distinct areas of the map, surrounding their target. 

“Cops?” Selena sounds scared. “Where? What does that mean?”

“I’ll get you a visual, Lina,” Kennedy types away on her keyboard, sending a diagram to Selena’s binocucom. 

“Don’t be scared, petite-moi,” Sly’s voice is gentle, soothing, almost playful. And it’s entirely for show. “They’re near my position. They probably don’t know we’re here.”

“Sly, can you get me a visual?” Bentley asks. 

“Sure, pal. One sec.”

Bentley pulls up Sly’s binocucom feed. Carmelita can tell because the model is a little older, and the feed looks a bit like an old camcorder. But she can see what Sly’s seeing just fine. 

This isn’t just police out on patrol, or at a call-out. It’s a blockade. Some of the cars are parked sideways across the roads, blocking anyone from coming in or out. All of the cars, even the ones belonging to the plainclothes detectives, have their blue and red lights flashing, lighting up the night. Carmelita’s ears pick up the crackle of police radio. 

“Got enough visual, Bentley?” Sly asks. His voice sounds a bit strained, like he’s in a weird position. 

“Yeah, thanks,” Bentley pulls up a recording of the feed, and Kennedy takes it with her mouse, making notes in neon pink with her stylus. 

“Cool. I’m gonna hide nearby. Selena, head back to the safehouse.”

“But…! The mission…!”

“Blocked off by our company. Safety is more important right now.” Sly’s voice is stern, about as close as he’s ever gotten to straight up yelling. “Go. Now.”

“I’ve sent coordinates to your binocucom,” Kennedy says absently. 

“Thanks, Ken.”

“Bentley,” Carmelita cuts in, leaning over his shoulder, “d’ya think you can hack the police radios?”

“Sure.” Bentley nods. “Did you have a specific squad car in mind?”

Carmelita quickly references the footage, then points at the screen. “Those cars. They’re unmarked, so they probably belong to the Inspectors.” She shook her head, tail still twitching. “I don’t like it. This is a blockade.”

Bentley relays the information to Sly as he does some quick hacking in another window. 

“Yeah, I thought so,” Sly’s voice comes in, barely audible. Carmelita can still hear the radios under his voice, and hates that he’s so close to the cops. “I’d love to know who’s here. Those are Interpol cars.”

“Here we are,” Bentley says, handing Carmelita a pair of headphones. “Carmelita had the same idea, Sly. Waiting on confirmation.”

“Way to go, Nina,” Sly replies. 

Carmelita listens carefully to the police radio, but she doesn’t like what she’s hearing. “It’s Rover,” she mutters, closing her eyes to concentrate. “Execute 10-85,” she repeats. “10-85...find and apprehend suspect.” She turns to Bentley. “They must know it’s us.” 

“But I thought Rover had shoot-to-kill orders?” Bentley looks nervous. 

“Shoot-to-kill?!” Selena cries. It’s too loud. 

“Shh!” Sly cautions through the comms. “Selena, get to higher ground! I can still see you with my binocucom.”

“Okay, dad. But what does that mean? They want to kill you?!”

“Focus for now,” Sly soothes. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.” 

“Dad…” Kennedy mutters. 

“Sorry, Selena, sweetheart, it’s nothing to worry about,” Bentley says gently.

“Just focus on getting home, Lina,” Kennedy instructs. “We’ll do the rest.”

Sly’s link in the group communication goes silent for a moment, but Carmelita can hear (through the ear not currently covered by headphones listening to police radio) that Sly is talking privately with Bentley. But she can only hear one half of the conversation.

“Rover. ...Yes, but I… Sly, are you…? Okay. Okay,” Bentley presses a few buttons. “I’m ready.”

Sly returns to the group communication just as Carmelita hears, “Suspect spotted, 30 clicks. Move in!”

“Someone’s been spotted!” She cries, frantic, her eyes wild as she looks between Bentley and Kennedy.

“Shit!” Selena curses. “Cop cars!”

“Fuck,” Sly says, which is a rarity, considering that in recent years, he has tried not to curse as frequently as he did in his youth. “I’ll distract them.” Carmelita can visualize him twirling his cane in preparation. “Bentley, switch the comms. Do it now.”

The entire room goes tense and unnaturally quiet. It seems like even the appliances stop working. If Sly was asking for a comm switch, he sensed that something bad was going to happen. Through careful training and bonding, Kennedy and Selena have become a cohesive and formidable team, but Bentley is still far more experienced with working in the field, especially working support. If Sly is handing over the experienced thief, who knows his strengths and weaknesses after years of working together, for a rookie, then…

Then he was trying to save Selena.

Carmelita sets down the headphones and turns to leave the caravan.

“Mom?” 

Her son’s voice, higher pitched and scared, stops her in her tracks. Carson looks like a child, his tail curled around his legs nervously. “Mom, what’s going on? Is Selena gonna be okay?”

Carmelita rests her hand on Carson’s shoulder. “She’s gonna be just fine. She’s in good hands with Uncle Bentley.”

Tesla wraps her arm around Carson, nodding. “Yeah, if there’s anyone who knows sticky situations, it’s my dad. And Selena’s getting almost as good as your dad, Cars. She’ll be home safe before you know it.”

Carmelita smiled, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. When she turned to go out the door, her face was drawn and determined, her shoulders tense and her stance unyielding.

She was going after her daughter. But she wasn’t going to go empty handed.

Suddenly, two words make her freeze where she stands, her hand on the doorframe.

“Freeze, Cooper.”

~

“Inspector Rover,” Sly slowly rises to his full height, cane visible in his right hand, fingers splayed outward. His eyes are on the Glock he can see in the Doberman’s large paw. “I didn’t think we’d meet like this so soon.”

“Cut the crap, ringtail!” Rover growls, his white fangs flashing in the moonlight. “You’re outnumbered, and there’s nowhere to run. Your scrappy kit is being chased by my son and his men. You’re not getting away this time.”

Sly backed up, needing to put more distance between himself and the gun in Rover’s shaking hands. But the back of his boot knocked against the lip of the highrise apartment he and Rover were currently standing on. Sly hadn’t thought Rover would’ve been able to follow him so quickly, but maybe it had happened while he was distracted with changing the comm system over. 

At least Selena was in good hands.

Sly shot an easy smile at Rover. If he could keep the old dog talking, maybe he could figure a way out of this mess. He tapped out “S.O.S.” in morse code with his cane, hoping Kennedy would get the picture and send him some options. 

If not, he’d be on his own. And wasn’t that a scary thought?

~

“Rover’s got Sly?” Carmelita demanded, hovering behind Kennedy, staring at the young turtle, hoping for answers.

Kennedy nodded, pushing her glasses up onto her nose. Her scales shimmered in the computer’s blue light. “Y-yeah, Auntie Lita. He tapped out something in morse code, but I’m rusty.”

“It’s S.O.S.,” Bentley cut in. “Sly’s distress signal. Ken, you need to look for anything in the surrounding area that might be useful and relay the information, stat.”

Carmelita felt herself shaking, a weird mixture of fear and adrenaline driving her. She needed her shock pistol. She was going to go out there, and get her husband and her daughter and bring them home where it was safe, or dammit, she’d die trying!

Kennedy nodded, quickly studying schematics of the surrounding residential area. This was supposed to be a simple job, which was why she and Selena had been allowed to tag along. Sly and Selena were just supposed to rob a supermarket for some essentials. 

Now…

Now Kennedy had no idea what the night would bring.

“Oh no,” Bentley groaned.

“What?” Kennedy asked.

Bentley put his head in his hands. “Selena’s been pinned down.”

“Holy shit.” Tesla murmured. Carson started to visibly shake, worried for his sister.

“By who?” Kennedy asked.

~

“Nice to see you again, Selena,” Bruce Rover, 23, stood across from her, pointing a standard issue police pistol straight at her chest. “You look so pretty in the moonlight.”

“Bruce,” Selena spat, shifting on her heels to unlock her straining muscles. “Nice to see you’re taking after your father.”

“Like you’re taking after yours?” Bruce cocked his gun, and Selena’s sensitive ears pricked towards the sound. “My dad was suspicious of Cooper all these years, but he couldn’t prove anything. How does it feel to have betrayed your family?”

Selena’s tail flicked in agitation. “I…! That’s not…!”

“Just think,” Bruce said, closing the distance between himself and Selena, “If it weren’t for you, your whole twisted family would be safe. But not any more.” He grinned. “We’ve got you now.”

~

“I’m going after her.” Carmelita cocked her shock pistol. She didn’t need to hear anything else.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Bentley began.

Carmelita turned back towards him with a growl. “You know what, Bentley?! I don’t fucking care! My daughter is in danger, my husband is being held at gunpoint by a dirty office of the law with orders to fucking shoot-to-kill!” She drew her shock pistol. “If you try and stop me, I will shoot.”

Bentley looked Carmelita up and down, finally meeting furious brown eyes that were brimming with tears. “All right,” he said finally. “Be careful.”

“I’m coming, too,” Carson stepped up, holding his mother’s police pistol. “It’s good to have backup, right?”

“Right.” Carmelita nodded gravely to her son. “Stay close to me, okay?”

Carson nodded, and the two foxes slipped out the door into the night.

~

“You know,” Sly went on, trying not to let on how much his heart was pounding, blood rushing to his ears, adrenaline making him dizzy, “I thought we worked pretty well together when we were on the same side.”

“I can’t believe Interpol ever let you get your grubby hands on anything!” Rover barked. “You were probably taking notes the whole time!”

“Contrary to popular belief,” Sly replied, “I didn’t retire from Interpol to steal things because I had some kind of “old itch” that needed to be scratched. If you’ll recall, I do have children…”

“Ah, yes,” Rover beamed. “Your little daughter, thinking she was so clever. I’ll never understand what Bruce saw in her.” He scoffed, and Sly bristled at the derogatory language. “What he wanted with some trash-breath raccoon...she doesn’t even have decent tits! Didn’t get that from her mother.”

“Stop talking about my daughter that way!” Sly snarled. “You pedophilic creep!”

“You might’ve forgotten your daughter’s legal,” Rover grinned, knowing he’d succeeded in getting past Sly’s bravado. The thief cursed to himself; the point had been to get him riled up, give Rover a reason to shoot. “Betrayed by your own family…” he mused. “I wonder...did your dad feel the same way?”

Sly’s tail flicked angrily from side to side, his eyes growing dark and cold. “Leave my father out of this.”

“Oh, but why would I do that?” Rover taunted. “He’s what started all this, after all.”

~

“There,” Carmelita pointed. “Do you see them?”

“Yeah,” Carson stood beside his mother, tail twitching. “How do we get closer?”

Carmelita’s eyes scanned the building. “That fire escape looks like it can hold our weight.” She glanced over at her son. “Have you been practicing your jumps?”

“Yep!” Carson took a few steps back, ready to leap.

“I’ll go first.” Carmelita jumped backwards, then took a running start, jumping off the roof and flipping herself in the air to give her an extra boost. The fire escape rattled under her weight, and she silently cursed Sly for being so light. Hanging off the ladder with one hand, she held out her arm. But Carson didn’t need her help, though he landed just as heavily, wincing as his chest hit metal.

The young fox pushed himself off from the rung until he could jump over his mother, climbing to the top of the building. 

And just in time, too.

~

“I think our little game ends here,” Bruce aimed his gun straight at Selena’s heart.

“Don’t you touch her.”

Selena opened her eyes, surprised to see her brother standing in front of her, blocking the shot, pistol held confidently in his hands. “Carson!” She cried in relief.

“Aww,” Bruce mocked. “What a cute little family reunion.” He shifted to aim at Carson. “Two little Cooper kits with one stone should finish the gang forever.”

As Carson aimed his gun, Carmelita realized with a sinking feeling that her old pistol was filled with Sly’s smoke pellets from training. She couldn’t warn him now. The vixen prepared to leap up. She’d die happily defending her kits. There was no greater honor.

At least she and Sly’s parents could agree on that front.

“You forget, Bruce,” Carson grinned, “I might not be a Cooper by species, but…” He aimed the gun at the ground, “I am a Cooper by birth.”

There was a pop as the smoke pellet went off, and a bang as a gunshot rang out. In the smoke, Carson helped Selena down onto the fire escape, then climbed down himself. When the smoke cleared, both youngsters were gone, and Bruce was face to face with a bright orange and yellow shock pistol.

“Lights out,” Carmelita muttered, shooting her shock pistol set to taze at the young dog. Bruce convulsed, but he wasn’t seriously injured. While he was incapacitated, Carmelita made good use of her rubber gloves to cuff Bruce, kicking away his pistol before bounding away across the rooftops.

She could only hope Sly could manage things on his own. “Please, Sly,” she said to herself, watching Selena lead Carson through back alleys towards the safehouse. “Please be okay.”

They’d come too far and endured too much to lose each other now.

~

“Drop your cane.”

Sly scoffed. “Really?! You’re going to make me drop it now?!”

“Do it.” Rover gestured with his gun to the flat concrete roof. “I’ve heard that honorable thieves leave their weapons before a suicide.”

Sly’s heart climbed into his throat and dread rushed into his belly like water. He suddenly felt very ill. “You’re...you can’t possibly...they’d want me alive!” Facing death had never felt like this. There was too much to lose. He hadn’t even been suicidal in years. Carmelita, the twins, they’d kept those dark thoughts at bay.

No...no, this couldn’t be how his life ended.

Rover grinned. “The best part is, I don’t even need to make it look like suicide. Interpol will take my side, no matter what the evidence says. And if your little family tries to make a peep about it…” Rover mimed slicing his neck. “It’s curtains for them, too.”

“No,” Sly whispered. He didn’t want to die, but...but if his family could live… 

Don’t come after me, he thought, setting down his cane. Don’t try to make things right. Stay safe. Please stay safe.

“Onto the edge, Cooper,” Rover gestured with his gun again. “Both feet. That’s it.”

Sly’s balance was keeping him steady on the edge, but the wind was rushing through his fur, threatening to knock his lithe figure right off the roof.

“I found something, Uncle Sly!”

Sly had to make a great effort to appear unaffected. Thank goodness for Kennedy’s perfect timing.

“This apartment building happens to have a pool right below it! You should be able to fall right into it!”

Sly locked eyes with Rover, stepping closer to the base of his cane. Thank goodness he’d thought to rest it against the building’s lip. 

“Adieu, Sly Cooper.” Rover smirked.

Sly heard the gunshot just as he used his boot to flip the cane up into his hand. A sharp, burning pain in his shoulder made him gasp, and then, he was falling.

It wasn’t his most graceful freefall. The force of the gunshot had pushed him backwards, and it was hard to reorient himself. Sly fell hard onto the thick wire clothesline stretched between two apartments, making him wince, and his left shoulder burned when he used hid cane in a two-handed stance to flip himself over so that he was able to belly flop. 

More gunshots. Sly felt one hit the meat of his back before the ice cold chlorinated water surrounded him. More bullets rained down into the water, and he dodged them clumsily, trying not to cry out and lose what little oxygen he had.

Luckily, there were no units on foot surrounding the pool, so when the gunshots finally stopped, Sly assumed a dead man’s float, hoping Rover might buy it.

The last thing he heard before unconsciousness took hold was a triumphant howl at the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...that looked better in my head.
> 
> I've been taking meditative drives recently around my hometown, and I listen to music along the way. So...that's why this series is so...song-based.
> 
> "Hellbent" by Mystery Skulls is good, y'all. Go give it a listen!


	2. You Make Me Strong

The first thing that Sly registered was that he was warm. Warm, and a bit floaty. 

But that...that didn’t make sense. Pools were not warm and didn’t make you feel floaty. Pools were cold and smelled funny. 

He smelled funny. Like chlorine. He was dry, but ugh, he could feel the unnatural dryness the chlorine left in his fur. 

Okay, so he was too uncomfortable to be dead, then. That was good, at least.

“...Nina…?” Sly’s throat was dry, and his voice sounded hoarse. His place of rest was jostled, which made his stomach turn. 

“Oh, of course that’s the first thing you think about. Far be it from me to expect a top spot on your list.”

Sly felt a slow smile spread across his face. He’d know that voice anywhere. “Bentley?” It was too bright to open his eyes. He groaned, reaching one hand up to rub them. His shoulder and back felt stiff, but he wasn’t in any pain. Good start. 

“Yeah, it’s me. Don’t worry, I only had to perform minor surgery while trying not to poison you with chlorine in a moving vehicle. No need to thank me.”

Sly snorted, finally opening his eyes. His vision was a bit blurry at first, but the more he concentrated, the more shapes he could make out. 

It was the camper van. He was safe. They were all safe. The raccoon let out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding. 

And there was Bentley, who for all his snark looked incredibly drawn and nervous. “How are you feeling?”

“Mmm...floaty. Not in pain.” He rotated his ears, able to feel the communicator in one and water in the other. “Wha happnd?” He slurred. 

“You were shot twice. Lucky in both cases. The bullet that knocked you off the building just missed your brachial artery, and the one in your back was lodged between two ribs.” Bentley smiled thinly, trying and failing to be reassuring. “I had to fish them both out. You’re on a generous dosage of morphine right now.”

“Ahhhh, that esplains it.” Sly yawned so hard his jaw cracked. 

“You should try to get some sleep,” Bentley said. Tomorrow, we fly out of England.”

“Where goin?”

“Spain. Carmelita has a place where we can stay.”

“Carmelita.” Sly tried to sit up, but was prevented by his injuries. “Let me see her.”

“All right,” Bentley soothed, and Sly heard his wheelchair squeaking before cold hands fluffed up his pillows. “I’ll go get her. She’s been waiting for you to wake up.”

Sly let his eyes fall shut, his ears remaining on high alert. He heard the door open, the wheelchair’s squeaking, and then heard it closed. When it opened again, the sharp steps made him open his eyes, surprised by an armful of curvy vixen. 

“Sly,” Carmelita’s arms were squeezing him so tightly that he had to let out a gasp at the way it pulled at his injuries. “Oh thank the gods. I was so worried.” 

Sly wrapped his good arm around her back. “I’ve seen worse, chérie. Is Selena okay? Carson? Kennedy?”

“Yes, yes, cariño, they’re just fine.” Carmelita pulled back, blushing slightly as she realized she was crushing him. “Carson was so clever...he used a smoke pellet to help us escape. You would’ve been so proud.”

“I am,” Sky reassured her, unable to stop smiling, his fingers running through a few loose strands that had come undone from her braid and were sticking to her forehead. “I’m proud of all of them. They’re growing up so fast.”

Carmelita took Sly’s hand, kissing it, then nuzzling against it, her breath shaky. “I...I thought I’d never see you again. When Murray fished you out of the water...you were so cold, and the water was filled with blood…”

“Shh,” Sly soothed. “I’m here now, chérie. I promise. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” 

Carmelita took a shaky breath, her chocolate eyes meeting her husband’s. “I never want to see you go toe to toe with Rover like that ever again.”

“Right, that’s your job.” Sly joked, glad he could make Carmelita chuckle. “God, I can’t wait to shower.” He wrinkled his nose. “I stink to high heaven!”

“And that’s saying a lot for a raccoon,” Carmelita teased, leaning forward to press her lips against his in a chaste kiss. “Once we get where we’re going, I promise you can have as many warm showers as you like.”

“I’d like that,” Sly smiled, nuzzling Carmelita’s nose, then turning away as he yawned. 

Carmelita straightened up. “Get some rest, Sly.”

“Wait!” Sly squeezed her hand. “Stay with me? Please?”

“Yes of course.” Carmelita pulled up a chair and sat beside her husband. Truth be told, this was comforting to her, as well. 

Sly smiled, and then drifted off to sleep almost instantly. 

As Carmelita watched her husband sleep, his breath coming slow and even, she felt her eyes filling with tears. 

It was low rations that had decided the job. The lowest rations they’d experienced yet. Sly and (sometimes, when the pickings were good) Selena were eating out of dumpsters, and every adult had taken half rations. It was just supposed to be an easy job. 

The dumpsters had not been kind to Sly. Carmelita stared at his bare chest, distressed that she could count his ribs easily. He hid his suffering well; Murray had been visibly shocked by Sly’s weight, and Bentley had tsked and fussed at an unconscious Sly during surgery. And worst of all, he’d taken the job...when he must’ve been so weak already…

Carmelita rubbed her eyes, swallowing her sobs. No, she wouldn’t cry. Sly was here. In whatever state he was, he was here. Everything else would heal with time. 

Carmelita sat with him until the night turned to fragile dawn, and then for many hours after. 

And Sly could finally get some well-deserved rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...that was dumb. lol


End file.
